Two Turkish soldiers have been killed in a confrontation with PKK terrorists in the eastern province of Bitlis, the country’s Interior Ministry said Saturday night.

During the counterterror operation, another four soldiers were injured, the ministry added in the statement, adding that the injuries were not serious.

The operation is still ongoing, the statement read.

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union, has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people including women and children.